Across Europe, Roma communities continue to experience the long-term effects of exclusion, dispossession, and racialisation — legacies of centuries of antigypsyism that remain largely unacknowledged within formal justice systems. While European and national frameworks have advanced policies for inclusion, they often fall short of recognising antigypsyism as a historical injustice that requires transformative and reparatory responses rather than solely social or economic measures.

The JEKHIPE Project – Reclaiming our past, rebuilding our future: new approaches to fighting antigypsyism, funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme of the European Union, was conceived to bridge this gap. It reframes antigypsyism not only as a contemporary human rights concern but also as a transitional justice challenge — one that requires truth-telling, recognition, reparation, and structural reform.

This approach draws from the growing body of global thought and practice on transformative justice, which recognises that genuine change must address both past violations and their ongoing structural impacts.

Transformative justice emphasises participation, redistribution, intergenerational healing, and collective empowerment as essential components of social repair. At the same time, diverse global perspectives on justice remind us that sustainable transformation must be rooted in community knowledge, cultural memory, and local traditions of dialogue and reconciliation. These insights deeply resonate with Roma struggles for truth, dignity, and representation.

Against this backdrop, the Civil Society Toolbox on Countering Antigypsyism seeks to serve as a strategic and practical resource for civil society organisations (CSOs), NGOs, and practitioners working to counter antigypsyism and promote equality across Europe.

Author: Dr Ismael Cortés – Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Centre on Antigypsyism (Heidelberg University); Associate Professor, UNESCO Chair of Philosophy for Peace (Universitat Jaume I).

About ERGO Network

ERGO Network brings together Roma and pro-Roma civil society organisations from across Europe to fight discrimination, promote equality, and strengthen Roma participation in policymaking. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and grassroots empowerment, ERGO Network works to ensure Roma communities are heard at local, national, and European levels.